'Petite Maman (2021)' is an extremely low-key movie about a young girl who makes a new friend while staying at her recently deceased grandmother's house as her parents sort through the late matriarch's belongings. Even its subtle but significant fantastical elements (the exact nature of which are suitably ambiguous) are presented in a very realistic, down-to-earth way. It may very well just be the first social-realist children's fantasy film I've ever seen and it works far better than it perhaps ought to. Its lack of exaggeration allows it to hit home especially hard, as it feels like an experience that almost all of us will be able to relate to on some level. It acts as a sort of pseudo nostalgic retrospection for adults and, I'd imagine, an in-the-moment reflection of reality for children. Because of this, I actually think that it would be a good flick to watch with your own kids, especially since it deals with themes surrounding the relationship between parent and child. It isn't sappy like most movies dealing with a similar subject; in fact, it has a rather potent underpinning of melancholy to it. This sadness is profound yet benevolent, a representation of the slightly intangible and partially existential dread that inevitably exists on the fringes of everybody's own existence. The film posits that sadness is simply a part of life, something to be dealt with as it arises rather than pushed deep down below the surface. At the same time, the flick isn't even close to dour (evidence of that can be found in the genuine joy it is able to inspire simply by portraying the innocent laughter of children). It just represents reality as most of us experience it: flawed, somewhat monotonous and filled with ups and downs. There's an uplifting vibe to the overall affair and it all actually feels rather poignant. Though it isn't the most straightforwardly exciting or compelling piece, it does have a distinct effect and lingers with you for quite a while after it is over. It's a lovely film, despite its motifs of sadness and grief. It's also pretty unique in its own way. It's really good. 7/10.
79 Reviews
A sweet and poignant film
ethanbresnett4 February 2022
Petite Maman is a very understated, reflective, and almost meditative film.
Celine Sciamma uses her stripped back and beautiful film making to highlight the characters and their relationships in such sensitive way.
We follow a young girl dealing with grief and loss, which is explored through a poignantly played out time travel scenario.
It's a very short film, but with a lot of emotion, power, and humour packed in.
The two young leads are great, and with not much of a supporting cast at all they had to be.
A beautiful story with beautiful direction. Lovely.
Celine Sciamma uses her stripped back and beautiful film making to highlight the characters and their relationships in such sensitive way.
We follow a young girl dealing with grief and loss, which is explored through a poignantly played out time travel scenario.
It's a very short film, but with a lot of emotion, power, and humour packed in.
The two young leads are great, and with not much of a supporting cast at all they had to be.
A beautiful story with beautiful direction. Lovely.
Beautiful!
Bramnfsette979 April 2022
Great movie! A wonderfull masterpiece of love, loss, magic and time.
This director surprises me more and more, with her delicate stories, her sensitive photography, and this film is a clear example of what she can create.
This director surprises me more and more, with her delicate stories, her sensitive photography, and this film is a clear example of what she can create.
A Short & Delicate Drama Fantasy About Coping & Bonding
CinemaClown12 December 2021
From the writer-director of Portrait of a Lady on Fire comes yet another tender, touching & heartfelt drama fantasy that may not have the same intense, intoxicating passion brewing under the surface but it sure exhibits a similar intimacy in its approach. Petite Maman is a delicately crafted story that looks at love, loss, grief & innocence through the eyes of an 8-year old girl.
Written & directed by Céline Sciamma, the film is only 70 mins long and follows a young girl coping with the death of her grandmother by bonding with her mother. Sciamma's nuanced portrait of childhood & imagination allows her to address the necessary themes by merging harsh realism with fantastical escape, thus preserving the innocence & purity of youth, while narrating her tale with sensitivity.
Despite the brief runtime, Sciamma never hurries through the proceedings and lets the story unfold & unravel at its own pace. The film is also shot with elegance, told with compassion & benefits from sincere performances from the whole cast. Joséphine Sanz plays her part with emotional honesty under Sciamma's supervision and she is well-supported by her twin sister who plays the 8-year old version of her mother.
Overall, Petite Maman finds beauty in simplicity and is another fascinating addition to Céline Sciamma's oeuvre. A sweet & poignant story about coping & bonding between a daughter & her mother that's rendered on screen with unfailing warmth & tenderness, Sciamma's latest is as arresting on visual fronts as it is stirring on the emotional scale, and doesn't make the mistake of overstaying its welcome. Definitely recommended.
Written & directed by Céline Sciamma, the film is only 70 mins long and follows a young girl coping with the death of her grandmother by bonding with her mother. Sciamma's nuanced portrait of childhood & imagination allows her to address the necessary themes by merging harsh realism with fantastical escape, thus preserving the innocence & purity of youth, while narrating her tale with sensitivity.
Despite the brief runtime, Sciamma never hurries through the proceedings and lets the story unfold & unravel at its own pace. The film is also shot with elegance, told with compassion & benefits from sincere performances from the whole cast. Joséphine Sanz plays her part with emotional honesty under Sciamma's supervision and she is well-supported by her twin sister who plays the 8-year old version of her mother.
Overall, Petite Maman finds beauty in simplicity and is another fascinating addition to Céline Sciamma's oeuvre. A sweet & poignant story about coping & bonding between a daughter & her mother that's rendered on screen with unfailing warmth & tenderness, Sciamma's latest is as arresting on visual fronts as it is stirring on the emotional scale, and doesn't make the mistake of overstaying its welcome. Definitely recommended.
Magic
garethcrook6 December 2021
Watch this one with a box of tissues. A big one. Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) has lost her grandma. Saying goodbye at the nursing home, it's a solemn start, but I swear if you're not also smiling within 5 minutes, check your pulse. Staying with her mother and father in the old family home in the French countryside, as they clear the place. It's autumnal, reflective, melancholic. The house although sparse looking, is full of memories for mum, and exciting discoveries for Nelly. Most notably Marion (Gabrielle Sanz, yes related), who she meets building a hut out of branches in the woods around the house. Marion isn't just any girl. She's special. She's magical. Giving Nelly an insight to help her grieve and find out things about herself. It's wonderful. Truly. Both the girls are fantastic on screen and the whole thing looks calmly beautiful. Nelly knows something isn't quite right, but it's not eerie, it's rated U after all. It doesn't dumb things down for a younger audience either though. It's intelligent, sophisticated, perfectly paced. I won't say any more than that. Director Céline Sciamma has created something quite fantastic. With a final scene that left me smiling through the tears.
A French Coming Of Age Sci-Fi Hybrid That's A Warm Bundle Of Cinematic Magic
rannynm18 August 2022
Petite Maman is a warm bundle of cinematic magic. Director Celina Sciamma's French coming of age sci-fi hybrid never gets too bogged down in tedious specifics of its fantastical set-up. Petit Maman bends time to tell the story about the bond between a daughter and her mother that transcends it.
Petite Maman, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the Middleburg Film Festival, centers itself around a little girl named Nelly (Josephine Sanz) and her family, reeling after the death of a loved one, as they spend some time in Nelly's mother's childhood home. Nelly's mother leaves the family behind in the midst of the immense grief she's suffering, leaving her husband and daughter with little idea of when she'll return. In the meantime, Nelly ventures into the woods, where she meets and begins to pal around with a young girl, who she learns, by some twist of cosmic fate, is a much younger version of her own mother, who faces trials of her own. A single stretch of woods bridges decades between them. Together, they try to help each other cope in these moments of personal turmoil and Nelly can maybe get to understand why her mother left and what she's going through. This movie quite literally follows its two leads after their meeting, making food, building forts, making believe. Petit Maman uses those pastimes of youth to hit audiences with a surprisingly layered exploration of something as monumental as grief from a kid's perspective.
I loved, loved, loved the setup of this movie-it doesn't ever seek to explain how Nelly and this younger version of her mother meet in terms of time and space, but it uses that heightened concept to speak to something more human. Here, two children reckon with fear and their powerlessness in the conflicts they face, and in the comfort and security they give each other lies the courage to face them.
The lesson of Petite Maman is just to be there for the people you love in times of great difficulty.
I give Petite Maman 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It's an understated, but moving little gem that I hope doesn't escape people's radar. By Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST!
Petite Maman, which I had the pleasure of seeing at the Middleburg Film Festival, centers itself around a little girl named Nelly (Josephine Sanz) and her family, reeling after the death of a loved one, as they spend some time in Nelly's mother's childhood home. Nelly's mother leaves the family behind in the midst of the immense grief she's suffering, leaving her husband and daughter with little idea of when she'll return. In the meantime, Nelly ventures into the woods, where she meets and begins to pal around with a young girl, who she learns, by some twist of cosmic fate, is a much younger version of her own mother, who faces trials of her own. A single stretch of woods bridges decades between them. Together, they try to help each other cope in these moments of personal turmoil and Nelly can maybe get to understand why her mother left and what she's going through. This movie quite literally follows its two leads after their meeting, making food, building forts, making believe. Petit Maman uses those pastimes of youth to hit audiences with a surprisingly layered exploration of something as monumental as grief from a kid's perspective.
I loved, loved, loved the setup of this movie-it doesn't ever seek to explain how Nelly and this younger version of her mother meet in terms of time and space, but it uses that heightened concept to speak to something more human. Here, two children reckon with fear and their powerlessness in the conflicts they face, and in the comfort and security they give each other lies the courage to face them.
The lesson of Petite Maman is just to be there for the people you love in times of great difficulty.
I give Petite Maman 3.5 out of 5 stars and recommend it for ages 5 to 12. It's an understated, but moving little gem that I hope doesn't escape people's radar. By Benjamin P., KIDS FIRST!
Dealing with grief from young girl's perspective
paul-allaer12 September 2022
As "Petite Maman" (2021 release from France; 72 min) opens, 8 yo Nelly and her mom Marion are dealing with the recent passing of Marion's mom/Nelly's grandmother. The grandmother's house contains tons of childhood memories and things. Once day while playing in the nearby woods, Nelly meets another 8 yo girl, whose name is Marion...
Couple of comments; this is the latest from French writer-director Celine Sciamma ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire"). Here Sciamma looks at how an 8 yo girl processes the loss of her grandmother. "I never get to say a proper goodbye", she laments to her mom. Things really get interesting when Nelly meets 8 yo Marion. The scale of the movie may be small, but its emotional reach is enormous. I was completely blown away by the lead performances of the young twins (Joséphine Sanz as Nelly and Gabrielle Sanz as Marion). In case you are wondering whether the movie's short running time hurts the viewing experience, don't worry. The movie comes to a natural close and you will be surprised how deeply invested you had become with these characters.
"Petite Maman" premiered at the 2021 Berlinale to immediate and widespread critical acclaim. If the movie get a US theatrical release, it certainly didn't make it to where I live (in Cincinnati.). Fortunately, the movie started streaming on Hulu just a few days ago, and that is where I caught it. If you are in the mood for a top notch foreign movie about dealing with grief from a young girl's perspective, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
Couple of comments; this is the latest from French writer-director Celine Sciamma ("Portrait of a Lady on Fire"). Here Sciamma looks at how an 8 yo girl processes the loss of her grandmother. "I never get to say a proper goodbye", she laments to her mom. Things really get interesting when Nelly meets 8 yo Marion. The scale of the movie may be small, but its emotional reach is enormous. I was completely blown away by the lead performances of the young twins (Joséphine Sanz as Nelly and Gabrielle Sanz as Marion). In case you are wondering whether the movie's short running time hurts the viewing experience, don't worry. The movie comes to a natural close and you will be surprised how deeply invested you had become with these characters.
"Petite Maman" premiered at the 2021 Berlinale to immediate and widespread critical acclaim. If the movie get a US theatrical release, it certainly didn't make it to where I live (in Cincinnati.). Fortunately, the movie started streaming on Hulu just a few days ago, and that is where I caught it. If you are in the mood for a top notch foreign movie about dealing with grief from a young girl's perspective, I'd readily suggest you check this out and draw your own conclusion.
Bit of a disappointment
Jeremy_Urquhart22 May 2022
Celine Sciamma's follow-up to the beloved Portrait of a Lady on Fire is unfortunately one I've got mixed feelings about.
It undeniably has a unique premise, gets some great performances out of its young actors, and is very well shot (great use of colours, outdoor locations, and lighting just as in Portrait). But for whatever reason, I found this to be a really tedious watch, despite its short length.
Scenes stretch on for an eternity, the pacing feels deliberately glacial, and the lack of music really hurt it, in my opinion. Comparing it to Portrait, the lack of music in that one until near the end felt like an artistic choice that paid off, but an almost identical strategy is used here and it just feels uninspired (it's a great scene, and just made me wish there'd been some more music in the film to give it just a tiny bit more life).
For as well made as it is in many respects, it was just too slow and uninvolving with its story for me. I can't rate it too low because of how good the two young twins are, and how great the visuals can be, but the areas I liked weren't enough to keep me interested or invested for the whole runtime. Without a little extra something added into the narrative, I think this would have worked better as a short film.
It undeniably has a unique premise, gets some great performances out of its young actors, and is very well shot (great use of colours, outdoor locations, and lighting just as in Portrait). But for whatever reason, I found this to be a really tedious watch, despite its short length.
Scenes stretch on for an eternity, the pacing feels deliberately glacial, and the lack of music really hurt it, in my opinion. Comparing it to Portrait, the lack of music in that one until near the end felt like an artistic choice that paid off, but an almost identical strategy is used here and it just feels uninspired (it's a great scene, and just made me wish there'd been some more music in the film to give it just a tiny bit more life).
For as well made as it is in many respects, it was just too slow and uninvolving with its story for me. I can't rate it too low because of how good the two young twins are, and how great the visuals can be, but the areas I liked weren't enough to keep me interested or invested for the whole runtime. Without a little extra something added into the narrative, I think this would have worked better as a short film.
One of the most beautiful films of the year
ravia1217 March 2022
I think "miraculous" is the most accurate word i can use to describe this movie. Petite Maman is incredibly simple in its story but at the same time incredibly impactful and utterly beautiful. Reminded me so much about how it actually feels to be a child in a way that i had never felt with any another movie.
Endearing & Imaginative...
Xstal15 November 2021
... just like eight year old Nelly, whose vivid imagination is brought to life when she meets her doppelganger Marion after her mother absents herself from her life for a few days. Beautifully filmed and acted, it may get you reflecting on your own perceptions of the world when you were that age or even as you got older, if you were lucky enough to carry that imagination with you.
A charming little existential fable that is decidedly minor but about major things
Quinoa19849 May 2022
A hot take: this really needed more Totoro or Cat-Bus. Wouldn't it have been something to see Marion and/or Nelly chilling out on the belly of a cute little troll with black wood sprites flying about?
My comparison to Miyazaki isn't some big leap or accident as Celine Sciamma has been up front about the inspirations for her film. What I took from this was maybe something that is perhaps an extrapolation of how it was made which is, since it has to be in 2020 into early 2021, a Covid-era pandemic movie. That it begins with a little girl saying Au revoir to several seniors at an old age home from which her grandma just died (don't forget as the cliche and song go the Children are the Future) can't be completely accidental or coincidental, and if she wrote it in some sense as a way of coping or reckoning with this period in time I get it. That it's also about the girl/Nelly's mother going away to some operation tracks back to Totoro and that idea of expressing a childhood point of view but with a dollop of surrealism/magic realism (spoiler, the other little girl, who is played by the performer's twin, is supposed to be not simply a little friend but the title character).
I find coming to this after it seems practically everyone else I follow critically has watched it and heaped buckets of praise on it that I'm somewhat outside the pack simply calling it *good* and not some total masterwork (my better half couldn't stand it but that's another story). I come to this also as a big fan of 'Portrait' and had high hopes for whatever she had to offer. I like Sciamma as a director, I like how she has a gentle and delicate sensibility with her performers and has these patient frames. From my limited perspective on her style (only seen these two for now) you're either completely immersed in her existential cinematic grammar or you're not. I was here up to a point, but wanted something.... more. Or perhaps even less.
At 70 minutes this is a thin slice of storytelling, but that's hardly a negative. Authors for centuries have created novellas and short novels that contain multitudes on the human condition. Maybe some of my lack of connection here is not for disliking what she does so much as what is not here or left out. This is a story that has grief as a theme, but aside from a couple of instances where the little girls have fun making pancakes or spitting out a little bit of bad soup, they're restrained... maybe so restrained that it feels uneasy at times. Maybe that's part of the point, but I had to wonder if it was because these are girls who haven't acted much before that Sciamma had them do less because she knew they couldn't or simply by design of the script.
Either way there is that and also the distinct lack of music. That of course, as in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, leads to an astonishing point where music does come in near the end. But aside from that and maybe one other small moment there isn't any score here, and it's so quiet that it's maybe too quiet for a story about girls (yes even as one is the Maman) who form a connection. Or to put it another way, it's a story with a kind of slightly heightened magical sense, maybe akin to something out of Rivette, and it's played so straight that ALL the work is on us as the audience to interpret. Again, I don't mind that work, but even at 70 minutes it asks a lot emotionally.
I don't mean to give the impression I wasnt captivated by this or admire it as I certainly do, but perhaps it edges to being slightly overrated as well. As either a short film at 30 minutes or a longer feature it could either condense its ideas into something still as profound but more to the point (still keeping her patience and time in scenes), or as a longer feature with more time with Nelly and/or Marion and the parents. It's a gentle little movie that is pretty and in its own muted dimensions charming, but I don't see it staying with me as long as her other film and didn't hit the kind of chord maybe I'm just looking for more after these last two years (ironically Portrait was one of the last films I saw in a theater before lockdown).
My comparison to Miyazaki isn't some big leap or accident as Celine Sciamma has been up front about the inspirations for her film. What I took from this was maybe something that is perhaps an extrapolation of how it was made which is, since it has to be in 2020 into early 2021, a Covid-era pandemic movie. That it begins with a little girl saying Au revoir to several seniors at an old age home from which her grandma just died (don't forget as the cliche and song go the Children are the Future) can't be completely accidental or coincidental, and if she wrote it in some sense as a way of coping or reckoning with this period in time I get it. That it's also about the girl/Nelly's mother going away to some operation tracks back to Totoro and that idea of expressing a childhood point of view but with a dollop of surrealism/magic realism (spoiler, the other little girl, who is played by the performer's twin, is supposed to be not simply a little friend but the title character).
I find coming to this after it seems practically everyone else I follow critically has watched it and heaped buckets of praise on it that I'm somewhat outside the pack simply calling it *good* and not some total masterwork (my better half couldn't stand it but that's another story). I come to this also as a big fan of 'Portrait' and had high hopes for whatever she had to offer. I like Sciamma as a director, I like how she has a gentle and delicate sensibility with her performers and has these patient frames. From my limited perspective on her style (only seen these two for now) you're either completely immersed in her existential cinematic grammar or you're not. I was here up to a point, but wanted something.... more. Or perhaps even less.
At 70 minutes this is a thin slice of storytelling, but that's hardly a negative. Authors for centuries have created novellas and short novels that contain multitudes on the human condition. Maybe some of my lack of connection here is not for disliking what she does so much as what is not here or left out. This is a story that has grief as a theme, but aside from a couple of instances where the little girls have fun making pancakes or spitting out a little bit of bad soup, they're restrained... maybe so restrained that it feels uneasy at times. Maybe that's part of the point, but I had to wonder if it was because these are girls who haven't acted much before that Sciamma had them do less because she knew they couldn't or simply by design of the script.
Either way there is that and also the distinct lack of music. That of course, as in Portrait of a Lady on Fire, leads to an astonishing point where music does come in near the end. But aside from that and maybe one other small moment there isn't any score here, and it's so quiet that it's maybe too quiet for a story about girls (yes even as one is the Maman) who form a connection. Or to put it another way, it's a story with a kind of slightly heightened magical sense, maybe akin to something out of Rivette, and it's played so straight that ALL the work is on us as the audience to interpret. Again, I don't mind that work, but even at 70 minutes it asks a lot emotionally.
I don't mean to give the impression I wasnt captivated by this or admire it as I certainly do, but perhaps it edges to being slightly overrated as well. As either a short film at 30 minutes or a longer feature it could either condense its ideas into something still as profound but more to the point (still keeping her patience and time in scenes), or as a longer feature with more time with Nelly and/or Marion and the parents. It's a gentle little movie that is pretty and in its own muted dimensions charming, but I don't see it staying with me as long as her other film and didn't hit the kind of chord maybe I'm just looking for more after these last two years (ironically Portrait was one of the last films I saw in a theater before lockdown).
Not really
PedroPires9016 November 2021
I wanted to like this but I'm really disappointed. No, I'm not a blockbusters-only person and no, I don't have have anything against foreign films (Another Round, A Sun, Bacurau and Beasts Clawing at Straws are all on my top-10 of 2020). This isn't just my cup of tea.
I struggled with the pace...like a lot! So much than on the 2nd act I was totally tired of it and not even connecting the most basic things on the story. The acting is good, the cinematography beautiful, but...(I hate to read and say this) I was totally bored with the absence of some tension/conflict.
The third act is good, but unfortunately - and probably because I was already totally out of it - I didn't feel any emotional punch. I would like to say that it can grow on a 2nd watch but I don't think that will happen.
I struggled with the pace...like a lot! So much than on the 2nd act I was totally tired of it and not even connecting the most basic things on the story. The acting is good, the cinematography beautiful, but...(I hate to read and say this) I was totally bored with the absence of some tension/conflict.
The third act is good, but unfortunately - and probably because I was already totally out of it - I didn't feel any emotional punch. I would like to say that it can grow on a 2nd watch but I don't think that will happen.
Sensitive and superb tale of motherhood
gortx6 May 2022
Celine Sciamma's sensitive and superb PETITE MAMAN is akin to a novella for inquisitive children. Like all good bedtime stories, it's made out of seemingly ordinary events and adventures, yet delivers graceful wisdom. Sciamma creates an intimate world where a litte magic can prosper.
Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is at her grandmother's house helping her parents sort out the estate. Her mother (Nina Meurisse) grew up there. During her stay, Nelly plays on the same grounds as her mother and befriends another eight-year old girl, Marion (played by Josephine's sister, Gabrielle). Their bond becomes very close even during the brief time they have together.
As with Sciamma's PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, the Director (who also penned the screenplay) doesn't employ a background score, choosing to let the natural sounds of wind and rain to create the mood. There are also are abundant silences. When a cheekily titled pop song (La Musique du Futur; lyrics by Sciamma) plays on the soundtrack it bursts with an extra force as it breaks the spell. Claire Mathon's cinematography is exquisite without ever drawing attention. The movie is efficiently edited, but, never feels rushed, the filmmaker confident that the backstory can easily be imagined without showing every beat.
PETITE MAMAN, like PORTRAIT is a story about women with the only male being the father (Stéphane Varupenne). The female characters represent three stages of motherhood: the past, the present and the future. With a run-time of 72 minutes, one might expect the simplicity to allow for only a superficial treatment of its themes, but, Sciamma turns it into a virtue. Life is short - embrace those around you while you can. The emotionally resonant final exchange consists of only two simple words, but entire lifetimes are implied. PETITE MAMAN is not only about sayign Au Revoir, but, also, Allo.
Nelly (Joséphine Sanz) is at her grandmother's house helping her parents sort out the estate. Her mother (Nina Meurisse) grew up there. During her stay, Nelly plays on the same grounds as her mother and befriends another eight-year old girl, Marion (played by Josephine's sister, Gabrielle). Their bond becomes very close even during the brief time they have together.
As with Sciamma's PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE, the Director (who also penned the screenplay) doesn't employ a background score, choosing to let the natural sounds of wind and rain to create the mood. There are also are abundant silences. When a cheekily titled pop song (La Musique du Futur; lyrics by Sciamma) plays on the soundtrack it bursts with an extra force as it breaks the spell. Claire Mathon's cinematography is exquisite without ever drawing attention. The movie is efficiently edited, but, never feels rushed, the filmmaker confident that the backstory can easily be imagined without showing every beat.
PETITE MAMAN, like PORTRAIT is a story about women with the only male being the father (Stéphane Varupenne). The female characters represent three stages of motherhood: the past, the present and the future. With a run-time of 72 minutes, one might expect the simplicity to allow for only a superficial treatment of its themes, but, Sciamma turns it into a virtue. Life is short - embrace those around you while you can. The emotionally resonant final exchange consists of only two simple words, but entire lifetimes are implied. PETITE MAMAN is not only about sayign Au Revoir, but, also, Allo.
A gentle and soulful fantasy
eddie_baggins5 October 2022
After the worldwide success of her last film Portrait of Lady on Fire, French arthouse director Céline Sciamma returns to the feature film world with a fantastical childhood drama that touches on some huge themes while never becoming overbearing or overstaying its welcome.
Clocking in at a refreshingly brisk 72 minutes, the BAFTA nominated Petite Maman is a film that viewers should intend to watch with as little knowledge as possible as while it may at first seem as though Sciamma's film is heading down a well-trodden path that we have seen numerous times before when dramas explore childhood and how children deal with death, life and parental bonds, Maman takes viewers to places that aren't always predictable creating a touching little experience that will strike a chord with many.
All taking place in the slowly paced manner that has become a staple of Sciamma's films both recent and long past, Maman is never in a rush to explore the meaning of young girl Nelly's friendship with the mysterious Marion whom she meets in the woods that run close by to her deceased grandmother's estate but when the questions to this relationship begin to become apparent there's a whole new layer of emotion and intrigue that is sure to leave viewers wanting to explore this story more even after the credits have rolled.
Front and centre within Sciamma's drama is two adorable performances from the Sanz siblings who both deliver above average performances as Nelly and Marion.
With much of the film forgoing too much interaction with those in their adult years, much of the heavy lifting of the film is handled by the Sanz girls with the two actors and Sciamma ensuring that while the story they are telling is heavy in subject, Maman never tries and loads up with intense or overbearing material making this a tale with a adult subject matter but an accessible and all-ages delivery.
Final Say -
A short, sharp and small film with a notable beating heart, Petite Maman has familiar elements but director Céline Sciamma and her impressive young duo make sure this is a memorable French film with many layers to unpack once all is said and done.
3 1/2 treehouses out of 5.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
Clocking in at a refreshingly brisk 72 minutes, the BAFTA nominated Petite Maman is a film that viewers should intend to watch with as little knowledge as possible as while it may at first seem as though Sciamma's film is heading down a well-trodden path that we have seen numerous times before when dramas explore childhood and how children deal with death, life and parental bonds, Maman takes viewers to places that aren't always predictable creating a touching little experience that will strike a chord with many.
All taking place in the slowly paced manner that has become a staple of Sciamma's films both recent and long past, Maman is never in a rush to explore the meaning of young girl Nelly's friendship with the mysterious Marion whom she meets in the woods that run close by to her deceased grandmother's estate but when the questions to this relationship begin to become apparent there's a whole new layer of emotion and intrigue that is sure to leave viewers wanting to explore this story more even after the credits have rolled.
Front and centre within Sciamma's drama is two adorable performances from the Sanz siblings who both deliver above average performances as Nelly and Marion.
With much of the film forgoing too much interaction with those in their adult years, much of the heavy lifting of the film is handled by the Sanz girls with the two actors and Sciamma ensuring that while the story they are telling is heavy in subject, Maman never tries and loads up with intense or overbearing material making this a tale with a adult subject matter but an accessible and all-ages delivery.
Final Say -
A short, sharp and small film with a notable beating heart, Petite Maman has familiar elements but director Céline Sciamma and her impressive young duo make sure this is a memorable French film with many layers to unpack once all is said and done.
3 1/2 treehouses out of 5.
Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)
One of my favorite indies of the last few years!
arielb883 April 2022
First, this film is beautiful to look at. They really got this film's tone to look and feel just right, and it showcases the story perfectly.
I am a huge fan of grounded film-work that is rooted in reality as much as possible. Director Céline Sciamma accomplishes this without question, but this may be the first time I say that it's accomplished a little too well. The script and the actors were so enchanting that they kept me invested, but I can imagine that certain audiences might find themselves falling asleep if they didn't know what they were in for.
I highly recommend that anyone give this movie a watch so they can form their own opinions. There's definitely a little something for everyone here.
I am a huge fan of grounded film-work that is rooted in reality as much as possible. Director Céline Sciamma accomplishes this without question, but this may be the first time I say that it's accomplished a little too well. The script and the actors were so enchanting that they kept me invested, but I can imagine that certain audiences might find themselves falling asleep if they didn't know what they were in for.
I highly recommend that anyone give this movie a watch so they can form their own opinions. There's definitely a little something for everyone here.
So light that it barely stands up on its own
itsahoverboard11 May 2022
This is just as beautifully shot and made as "Portrait of a Lady on Fire," but as light and unimpactful as Portrait is heavy and deeply moving. It seems like a kind of movie just for mothers and daughters, which is fine. The twin girl actresses were adorable in the scenes where they get to be themselves and goof around.
Lovely Film
evanston_dad20 December 2022
A lovely little bit of magical realism about a lonely young girl who finds a way to interact with the child version of her own mother over the course of a sweet couple of days.
"Petite Maman" is only about an hour and 15 minutes long, but it packs a lot into that short running time. Mostly it's about the extent to which we do or don't understand our own parents, and the gaps that lack of understanding give to our lives. But it's also about the ways in which we fail our children by letting our personal demons from the past interfere with the here and now. This movie quietly but perfectly conveys the transitory quality of childhood, and the melancholy that comes from both no longer being a child yourself and from realizing that you might not have completely enjoyed your own children while you could. It made me want to immediately go hug my kids and spend time doing something with them.
Grade: A.
"Petite Maman" is only about an hour and 15 minutes long, but it packs a lot into that short running time. Mostly it's about the extent to which we do or don't understand our own parents, and the gaps that lack of understanding give to our lives. But it's also about the ways in which we fail our children by letting our personal demons from the past interfere with the here and now. This movie quietly but perfectly conveys the transitory quality of childhood, and the melancholy that comes from both no longer being a child yourself and from realizing that you might not have completely enjoyed your own children while you could. It made me want to immediately go hug my kids and spend time doing something with them.
Grade: A.
Lovely but could have been much better
dakota_linda30 May 2022
Lovely in cinematography and the acting of the two girls. But there is so little that is explained that could have made it deeper. So much time was spent on watching/listening to people eat, brush their teeth, etc., etc., and just a little of that time could have been spent in creating scenes that explained just a little of the background story. The end result for me and my companion was boredom, which is a shame.
A quiet, simple, yet resonatingly beautiful masterpiece
I_Ailurophile12 November 2022
Céline Sciamma's directorial debut 'Water lilies' impressed me with how very good it was, more than first meets the eye. Her last film, 2019's 'Portrait of a lady on fire,' is not just an instant absolute favorite of mine, but in my mind is also unquestionably one of the very best movies ever made. On the strength of these I'm certainly keen to explore the rest of Sciamma's career, and see whatever she might do in the future. Though it may not immediately grab one's attention in quite the same way, 2021's 'Petite maman' readily illustrates once again the filmmaker's terrifically keen eye for arranging shots and scenes. There's an unswerving, simple beauty of film-making and storytelling in nigh every moment: an astonishing wealth of information is communicated to us about the characters, scenario, and plot while presenting us with very little beyond the actors' presence, Sciamma's sharp shot composition, and Claire Mathon's rich cinematography. Before even seven minutes have passed I've already started to fall in love.
Even with so few films under her proverbial belt it's indisputably clear just how masterful Sciamma is in her craft. This feature, like her others, is defined by a stark, heartfelt earnestness in both the tale and its telling, seen primarily but not exclusively in the depths and intricacies of the characters and the relationships between them (whatever their nature). As a writer she gives us stories that are unremittingly lovely and inescapably enchanting, even as they may be sad, tragic, or otherwise less than happy; characters who are real, believable, and sympathetic flesh and blood; and dialogue and scene writing that are so terrifically flavorful that near every line and distinct scene is almost enough to tell a full story in and of itself. In 'Petite maman' we're given grief, love, family, childhood innocence and imagination, friendship, and more - superb even on their own, but truly splendid when swirled together, not least in an uncomplicated tale of light but unmistakable fantasy. Whether in the setting of an idyllic wood or a cozy home, discretely advancing the story or just showing us the life of young protagonist Nelly, there's a nourishing warmth pervading the feature, as true in the screenplay as in Sciamma's refined, fastidious realization of it as director.
Quiet and unembellished as the movie is, informing the performances in turn, the cast is a joy. Sisters Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, especially, light up the screen with a perfectly natural, gleeful playfulness, and a sincerity of no pretense, that are wholly unsaddled with the same industry knowledge and worldly experience of their older costars. And really, that rather speaks to the tenor of the feature overall - so unassuming, so unbothered in its plot and the conveyance thereof, yet entirely magnificent exactly as it is. Even still, all this comes to fruition only with the utmost intelligence, passion, and care poured into every last iota - and Sciamma and her cast and crew inarguably possess more than all the greatest of skills that are required to see it through. To be frank, I wasn't sure what I was sitting for when I decided to watch this, but I should have known to trust my past experience with the filmmaker: 'Petite maman' is a masterpiece. If all the effusive praise I've already offered isn't convincing, if all the high regard and accolades bestowed upon Sciamma and her other projects aren't convincing, then I don't know what ever would be. Clocking in at not even 75 minutes, this doesn't occupy much of our time, but it lives on in our minds long, long after the digital timer has expired.
You need to watch this, and there's all there is to it. Thank you, Céline Sciamma. My highest possible recommendation.
Even with so few films under her proverbial belt it's indisputably clear just how masterful Sciamma is in her craft. This feature, like her others, is defined by a stark, heartfelt earnestness in both the tale and its telling, seen primarily but not exclusively in the depths and intricacies of the characters and the relationships between them (whatever their nature). As a writer she gives us stories that are unremittingly lovely and inescapably enchanting, even as they may be sad, tragic, or otherwise less than happy; characters who are real, believable, and sympathetic flesh and blood; and dialogue and scene writing that are so terrifically flavorful that near every line and distinct scene is almost enough to tell a full story in and of itself. In 'Petite maman' we're given grief, love, family, childhood innocence and imagination, friendship, and more - superb even on their own, but truly splendid when swirled together, not least in an uncomplicated tale of light but unmistakable fantasy. Whether in the setting of an idyllic wood or a cozy home, discretely advancing the story or just showing us the life of young protagonist Nelly, there's a nourishing warmth pervading the feature, as true in the screenplay as in Sciamma's refined, fastidious realization of it as director.
Quiet and unembellished as the movie is, informing the performances in turn, the cast is a joy. Sisters Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, especially, light up the screen with a perfectly natural, gleeful playfulness, and a sincerity of no pretense, that are wholly unsaddled with the same industry knowledge and worldly experience of their older costars. And really, that rather speaks to the tenor of the feature overall - so unassuming, so unbothered in its plot and the conveyance thereof, yet entirely magnificent exactly as it is. Even still, all this comes to fruition only with the utmost intelligence, passion, and care poured into every last iota - and Sciamma and her cast and crew inarguably possess more than all the greatest of skills that are required to see it through. To be frank, I wasn't sure what I was sitting for when I decided to watch this, but I should have known to trust my past experience with the filmmaker: 'Petite maman' is a masterpiece. If all the effusive praise I've already offered isn't convincing, if all the high regard and accolades bestowed upon Sciamma and her other projects aren't convincing, then I don't know what ever would be. Clocking in at not even 75 minutes, this doesn't occupy much of our time, but it lives on in our minds long, long after the digital timer has expired.
You need to watch this, and there's all there is to it. Thank you, Céline Sciamma. My highest possible recommendation.
Poignant and quiet French fantasy drama
witra_as21 February 2022
Poignant and quiet French fantasy drama that subsequently connected the dots between grappling and bonding although Céline Sciamma played with slow-footed ambiguity most of the times. Sanz twins and their act of innocence in daily manners won audience over.
Utterly Wholesome
sweidman-2801624 October 2021
"You never tell me about when you were little."
Nelly has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods. One day she meets a girl her same age building a treehouse. Petite Maman is Céline Sciamma's newest film since Portrait of a Lady on Fire. We all know the at she made an absolute masterpiece out of it and many of us have been anticipating this release since the announcement of it. Luckily for us, almost every review has come in positive. Most have agreed that it doesn't get nearly as impressive as Portrait, but it's an overall pleasing film. I found myself liking it much more than the generally positive reviews. Sciamma knows how to make you feel something. The childlike essence of the film brings out memories of how we once were and what changed. Even how the cinematography captures the autumn woods is much like how a child sees things. Her films have almost always had this supernatural quality or aspect to it, even if it's hidden and not actually reality. This is by far her most "supernatural" and almost feels like imagination. Though, I believe what is happening is happening.
The two children at the heart of the film, Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, are real life siblings so you know the relationship is real between the two. Simply watching them is heartening and delightful. I'm god they aren't put into positions where they overact. Some might say they aren't acting enough, but I see them acting how a child at that age would. Nelly is put into a position that makes her take on mother-like qualities and be mature for her age. That doesn't take away the child from her. All of the parental figures are great as well. I like the exploration of depression and how adults and kids have to deal with it. There's a sentimental feel hovering the whole time. A few moments did make me tear up either from joy or the reality of the situation. This is a bittersweet film that is completely wholesome. Petite Maman didn't come off slight for me and, in fact, was triumphant in what it wanted to say. Céline Sciamma still has yet to disappoint, and her newest addition is something everyone can relate to.
Nelly has just lost her grandmother and is helping her parents clean out her mother's childhood home. She explores the house and the surrounding woods. One day she meets a girl her same age building a treehouse. Petite Maman is Céline Sciamma's newest film since Portrait of a Lady on Fire. We all know the at she made an absolute masterpiece out of it and many of us have been anticipating this release since the announcement of it. Luckily for us, almost every review has come in positive. Most have agreed that it doesn't get nearly as impressive as Portrait, but it's an overall pleasing film. I found myself liking it much more than the generally positive reviews. Sciamma knows how to make you feel something. The childlike essence of the film brings out memories of how we once were and what changed. Even how the cinematography captures the autumn woods is much like how a child sees things. Her films have almost always had this supernatural quality or aspect to it, even if it's hidden and not actually reality. This is by far her most "supernatural" and almost feels like imagination. Though, I believe what is happening is happening.
The two children at the heart of the film, Joséphine and Gabrielle Sanz, are real life siblings so you know the relationship is real between the two. Simply watching them is heartening and delightful. I'm god they aren't put into positions where they overact. Some might say they aren't acting enough, but I see them acting how a child at that age would. Nelly is put into a position that makes her take on mother-like qualities and be mature for her age. That doesn't take away the child from her. All of the parental figures are great as well. I like the exploration of depression and how adults and kids have to deal with it. There's a sentimental feel hovering the whole time. A few moments did make me tear up either from joy or the reality of the situation. This is a bittersweet film that is completely wholesome. Petite Maman didn't come off slight for me and, in fact, was triumphant in what it wanted to say. Céline Sciamma still has yet to disappoint, and her newest addition is something everyone can relate to.
Rien
johnpmoseley29 November 2021
There's nothing really here. Looks like the director was trying to work through something about having a depressed mother and thought: if only I could go back and play with her when she was a child. But it turns out not to be a good way to work through the problem, at least not with the child mother as thinly imagined as here. It's also not clear, at least to this audience member, that the problem is all that big a deal.
The result is a very dull movie indeed.
The result is a very dull movie indeed.
"You didn't invent my sadness."
stylss8 May 2022
Short, delicate, original, heartfelt, poetic, touching, sensitive, reflective, magical, emotional, simple, and beautifully made.
There's only one scene with music and when the song came on I couldn't help but let out the tears I had been holding in.
Perfect Mother's Day movie and I think if I was a mother/daughter this would have obliterated me.
There's only one scene with music and when the song came on I couldn't help but let out the tears I had been holding in.
Perfect Mother's Day movie and I think if I was a mother/daughter this would have obliterated me.
Thoughtful, beautiful, truthful
dbowkerD29 December 2022
On paper, I have to admit I had my doubts that movie would really "work." In fact, I'm not sure I'd have watched it were it not for my trust in director Celine Sciamma, who's other films I love. I certainly add this to that list though, because it was beautifully done from start to finish. In her hands what could have been a saccharine "coming of age" or "ode to childhood" is anything but.
There is a deep and subtle honesty to her character's ways of interacting, which never feels overdone, always leaving enough open to feel like she is also placing her trust in the audience. This was certainly one of the strengths in Portrait of a Lady on Fire; when words are not needed, they are not spoken. But in that film she was working with adult actresses, who had a good deal more experience to bring to their characters. Yet somehow, she brings out the same kind of truth in the two young girls (identical twin sisters) that is kind of astounding to watch. Both actresses display a subtlety and naturalness to their characters, and one is immediately drawn into this seemingly small "moment" in their lives.
The story, like "Portrait..." is very nearly a world without men, though neither were in a literal sense. Both stories set that "other" world, the one with men as the central players, way off to the side. Sciamma thus allows the girls/women a place to play and build their own world; one distinct and uniquely theirs, if only for a time.
Filmed mostly in the slightly hazy light of remembered childhood during the days, the nights becoming darker and deeper, much like the childhood fears most all of had at some point. Again, it would have been easy to tip the cinematography into something entirely idealized, but it doesn't feel like it. It only hints a little at a certain "magical realism" but never is overt or explicit as to exactly "what" that might be.
In the end, one could likely view the story itself through several perspectives: a mother's memories and possible regrets, a daughter's desire to connect with her somewhat distant mother, each of them hoping to understand each other and thus themselves. It is again here that the director allows the viewer to bring their own questions and memories to the experience, without the need to "tell" us how to see it.
There is a deep and subtle honesty to her character's ways of interacting, which never feels overdone, always leaving enough open to feel like she is also placing her trust in the audience. This was certainly one of the strengths in Portrait of a Lady on Fire; when words are not needed, they are not spoken. But in that film she was working with adult actresses, who had a good deal more experience to bring to their characters. Yet somehow, she brings out the same kind of truth in the two young girls (identical twin sisters) that is kind of astounding to watch. Both actresses display a subtlety and naturalness to their characters, and one is immediately drawn into this seemingly small "moment" in their lives.
The story, like "Portrait..." is very nearly a world without men, though neither were in a literal sense. Both stories set that "other" world, the one with men as the central players, way off to the side. Sciamma thus allows the girls/women a place to play and build their own world; one distinct and uniquely theirs, if only for a time.
Filmed mostly in the slightly hazy light of remembered childhood during the days, the nights becoming darker and deeper, much like the childhood fears most all of had at some point. Again, it would have been easy to tip the cinematography into something entirely idealized, but it doesn't feel like it. It only hints a little at a certain "magical realism" but never is overt or explicit as to exactly "what" that might be.
In the end, one could likely view the story itself through several perspectives: a mother's memories and possible regrets, a daughter's desire to connect with her somewhat distant mother, each of them hoping to understand each other and thus themselves. It is again here that the director allows the viewer to bring their own questions and memories to the experience, without the need to "tell" us how to see it.
Warm mother-daughter tale brilliantly told.
JohnDeSando11 May 2022
Fairy tales do come true, or so Disney would have us believe. The French, as in writer/director Celine Sciamma's Petite Maman, make a whimsical tale come true by using a technique Walt would have appreciated, magical realism.
When an eight-year-old girl, Nelly (Josephine Sanz), meets her eight-year-old mother, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), not only do they make you believe, but they also give dignity to a deeply-embedded longing we have to know our parents when they were our age.
This all-too-brief 72 min fantasy reaches an imaginative high whereby the soft and precise longings of a bright adolescent girl to hold onto her mother take place in the traditional forest of fairy tales. Mom had built a hut here long ago and now emerges to greet her daughter, same age 8. They bond immediately, laugh girlie silly, and generally devour their friendship.
As in fairy tales and life itself, the romance must end, especially since mom's operation on her leg is imminent, evidenced by her using her cane. Although the timing of the events is not always linear, Sciamma has made it clear she is not interested in accuracy but rather in the honesty of the emotions and the arc of the characters.
While Sciamma crafted a far more popular, potboiling Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Petite Maman is like its title, a minimalist ode to the challenges of longing inherent in the mother-daughter romance. There will never be enough time, and no one will be able to know completely the most important person in their lives. Yet, Sciamma shows that small moments loom large in the memory, as when Nelly feeds mom cheese puffs from the back of the car, while Marion is driving. It's a ritual that binds.
The Sanz twins (they call themselves "sisters born on the same day) are like fantasy actors, smart but not overbearing, never too cute but abnormally insightful. They deliver the emotional heart of this low-key film that posits a child may fantastically come to know a mother as a real person. Petite Maman is a lyrical song to mother and daughters, who never know their mothers well enough until a brilliant filmmaker shows them how.
The best fantasy this year, the best mother-daughter tale ever.
When an eight-year-old girl, Nelly (Josephine Sanz), meets her eight-year-old mother, Marion (Gabrielle Sanz), not only do they make you believe, but they also give dignity to a deeply-embedded longing we have to know our parents when they were our age.
This all-too-brief 72 min fantasy reaches an imaginative high whereby the soft and precise longings of a bright adolescent girl to hold onto her mother take place in the traditional forest of fairy tales. Mom had built a hut here long ago and now emerges to greet her daughter, same age 8. They bond immediately, laugh girlie silly, and generally devour their friendship.
As in fairy tales and life itself, the romance must end, especially since mom's operation on her leg is imminent, evidenced by her using her cane. Although the timing of the events is not always linear, Sciamma has made it clear she is not interested in accuracy but rather in the honesty of the emotions and the arc of the characters.
While Sciamma crafted a far more popular, potboiling Portrait of a Lady on Fire, Petite Maman is like its title, a minimalist ode to the challenges of longing inherent in the mother-daughter romance. There will never be enough time, and no one will be able to know completely the most important person in their lives. Yet, Sciamma shows that small moments loom large in the memory, as when Nelly feeds mom cheese puffs from the back of the car, while Marion is driving. It's a ritual that binds.
The Sanz twins (they call themselves "sisters born on the same day) are like fantasy actors, smart but not overbearing, never too cute but abnormally insightful. They deliver the emotional heart of this low-key film that posits a child may fantastically come to know a mother as a real person. Petite Maman is a lyrical song to mother and daughters, who never know their mothers well enough until a brilliant filmmaker shows them how.
The best fantasy this year, the best mother-daughter tale ever.
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